By Solly Maphumulo, Poloko Tau, Shaun Smillie, Lee Rondganger, Alex Eliseev and Karyn Maughan
People dived for cover and scattered as gun shots rang out at the Bree Street taxi rank this morning.
This was the second attack since yesterday afternoon's brazen shooting that left one taxi driver dead.
Taxi driver Sipho Mkhize said he heard gun shots being fired just after 9am.
"It's frightening. We are still shocked because the gunfire came out of the blue. Luckily I was not here yesterday when the shooting happened. But it's tense here," Mkhize said.
He said a convoy of taxis owned by the association embroiled in a dispute sped out of the rank ahead of the gunfire.
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Scores of passengers were left stranded after the incident and police maintained a heavy presence.
Abegail Kgogo was unaware of a dispute between taxi associations. She waited in vain for a taxi to ferry her to Clearwater Mall where she works.
"I start at 11am and I'm going to be late. There is no other alternative mode of transport I can think of. I will phone my employer and explain the situation.
"I just hope this issue will be resolved as soon as possible," a shaken Kgogo said.
Witnesses last night described how a gunman fired at least 20 shots into the bustling rush-hour crowd.
It was fortunate there was just one fatality and that only four others were hurt, they said.
"It was like The Terminator. He just walked in calmly, randomly shooting. But I think he was shooting to scatter the crowd. If he wanted to, he could have killed a lot of people," said one witness.
The witness saw the gunman enter the first floor of the rank at about 5.30pm. At close range he fatally shot a driver, firing at least two shots through the vehicle's windscreen.
After killing the driver, he walked about 50m, shooting as he went. He then took aim at another taxi, shooting out the right-hand back passenger windows.
"He seemed to be aiming at the driver," said the witness.
The gunman walked out of the taxi rank the same way he had entered.
While witnesses seemed to believe there was only one shooter, police were looking for three suspects who, they said, came into the rank from an illegal gambling spot nearby.
Police spokesperson Captain Bheki Mavundla said: "We can't say at this point whether the motive for the attacks emanated from an argument at the gambling tables or whether it could be linked to taxi violence.
"There are CCTV cameras at the rank that we'll study."
Paramedics said a woman shot in the head was critical. She was conscious as paramedics stabilised her before rushing her to hospital.
Another woman, shot in a buttock, was taken to the offices of the Metro Mall taxi rank.
Two other victims were found at a nearby garage. One was apparently shot in the back and another in an arm. Both were in a serious condition.
The National Taxi Alliance said last night it believed the attack was because of a conflict between the Faraday Taxi Association and Dorljota (Dobsonville, Roodepoort, Leratong, Johannesburg Taxi Association).
Transport Minister Jeff Radebe condemned the shootings and reiterated his department's commitment to cleaning up the taxi industry.
- This article was originally published on page 1 of The Star on April 24, 2007
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